20/04/2023
This video is dedicated to Ram, to his cafe RAMSTERDAM, and to all the wandering souls I’ve met there. My story with Nepal started in February 2023 when I landed at Kathmandu airport for the first time in my life. After a few days of getting lost in the most touristic part of the city, Thamel, a friend advised me to go to this bar where he had already been, where I would certainly meet interesting people. It took me a while to follow his advice, but one day I made up my mind and went to the Boudhanath neighborhood, and from there I went to Ramsterdam. I met Ram, the owner, the creator of the place. He had no idea who I was, he had no idea that we already had mutual friends, the ones who had recommended me to go, but he welcomed me as if we had known each other for a long time. Well, Ramsterdam has become my headquarter, my square, my home, my family, a piece of my heart, for the rest of the duration of my stay in Nepal. Ramsterdam is an intricate, grassroots story that stems from the incredible life of a street child, a child who finally managed to get out of it, and make some of his dreams come true. This child is Ram, now with a long beard and a lot of experience behind him. Ramsterdam is his work, the place he created, a microcosm where everything and everyone meets, where he managed to form a reality that somehow synthesizes the whole world. He managed to make the world come to him, on a somewhat dusty street in Kathmandu, perhaps waiting for the day when he will be the one to go into the world. I've only been to Nepal once, and only for 1 month, but from now on I could not imagine Kathmandu and Boudhanath without this magical place. I believe it is truly unique, it is not to minimize the fantastic work of so many others who have created so many other valid and beautiful realities. But Ramsterdam is different, it's not designed for a profit motive, but it's a place designed to allow people from all over the world to meet, it's above all a place for sharing. The Ramsterdam is a place that gives you a lot from the first moment you enter it, but it is also a place where you are allowed to give back, because any idea or proposal is considered and well-liked, especially when it comes to music. In fact, the music is the master. Among the beautiful selection of songs that come out of the speakers, from its live music Fridays, to open mic nights, where anyone can perform however they want. And then the public. The first day I didn't know anyone. The last one I left almost with tears in my eyes, greeted and well liked by all. But now this place is in danger. Ram's resilience isn't infinite, and after earthquakes, various troubles, two years of covid that crushed him economically, it could really be the end. We therefore ask everyone, everyone who knows this place, everyone who would like to know it and know that when they arrive in Nepal there is a place of peace, sharing and art to welcome them, to do their part and help in any way possible so that Ramsterdam continues to exist. This video is for you Ram, for Ramsterdam, for Benji, for Kabita, Sarda and all the wonderful staff who work there, for Irene and her delicious biscuits, for Nima and his music, for Tenzin, Shiv, Rupert, Edison, Julienne, Josè, Mason, and all the people I’ve met there, for Shiva's Slave biker group, for all the musicians who have performed, for all the people who choose this place as a meeting place and for all those who have supported Ramsterdam over the years and still do!
This video is dedicated to Ram, to his cafe RAMSTERDAM, and to all the wandering souls I’ve met there. My story with Nepal started in February 2023 when I la...
